Willow Glen's successful association with the Inner Mongolia Rider Horse Industry has gone to another level with the Waimate stud to stand Mongolian Falcon.
Mike and Barbara Cooney's South Island operation will launch the stallion career of the well-performed son of Fastnet Rock, whose promising career was pre-maturely ended by injury.
Mongolian Falcon
"He's been here quite a few times and we've sold horses out of the paddock to Mr Wolf for a number of years," Barbara Cooney said.
"We've enjoyed a good association and at his invitation we went to Inner Mongolia in the north of China the season before last. We went to their three-day race-meeting and loved every minute.
"We're very excited about Mongolian Falcon and Rider Horse will be heavily supporting the horse with a nice selection of mares."
Trained at Ruakaka by Donna Logan and Chris Gibbs, Mongolian Falcon won three of his nine starts, including a five-length victory in the Gr.2 Hawke's Bay Guineas (1400m) at Hastings where he beat subsequent Gr.1 Australian Derby (2400m) winner Jon Snow and Gr.1 Diamond Stakes (1200m) winner Heroic Valour.
Also placed in the Gr.2 Sarten Memorial (1400m) and the Listed Reid & Harrison Slipper (1200m), Mongolian Falcon's career was ended by a knee issue after he finished sixth in the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m).
"He was a top-class galloper and started a strong favourite in the Guineas before his injury," Cooney said.
Mongolian Falcon is out of the Group-performed Galileo mare Amazing Beauty, whose only other foal to race is the multiple winner Mongolian Beauty.
It is a well-performed North American family that features the Group One winners Phone Chatter, In Lingerie and Dixie Chatter.
"He's such a lovely horse and he is bred on the Fastnet Rock/Galileo cross which has produced an incredible 27 per cent stakes winners to runners.
"It's an exciting venture and you have to take opportunities when they come along," Cooney said.
Mongolian Falcon will stand at $3000 + GST at Willow Glen alongside the Gr.1 Windsor Park Plate (1600m) winner Pure Champion, who began his stud career in 2015.
"He's doing really well and his young stock are beautiful types, very athletic," Cooney said. – NZ Racing Desk.
